Unlike the United States and other industrialized countries, many countries do not have an organized system which allocates frequency spectrum to specific applications, e.g., wireless communications. Without such an allocation system, anyone interested in setting up a communications system on a permanent or even temporary basis must first identify what frequency bands are available, i.e., which bands are uncongested or are associated with low noise levels, or are otherwise free from interference. In addition to determining which frequency bands are available, it is also necessary to determine the quality of any available channels. A low quality channel may require a different modulation scheme and power level in order to transmit a given amount of data compared to a higher quality channel.
In some countries there also exists internal military conflicts. This further complicates efforts to set up communications systems because not only may such countries lack an organized system for allocating frequency spectrum, but terrorists or anti-government groups also attempt to jam any frequency which may be used to transfer information, especially, when the communication system is a military or government system.